Finding Minnesota: Ice Cream Truck Music Boxes

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- During summer vacation kids get away from school, but ice cream truck vendors are still doing their homework.

"Supposedly, it's scientifically proven that the best weather is 82 degrees," said Jackson, a vendor with Big Bell.

The weather can be perfect, the truck can be stacked full of all kinds of frozen treats, but unless that nostalgic music is playing, he might as well be driving a school bus.

In this business music means money. And vendors across the world have a Twin Cities family to thank.

"Just the sound of it can elicit a nostalgic, happy memory for somebody. It's a fun thing to do," said Mark Nichols.

Mark and Beth Nichols run Nichols Electronics. Mark's dad Bob actually started the company 60 years ago. Before that, music boxes cost as much as $600 -- the price of a car at that time.

Transistors helped transform music boxes in the 1950s. They evolved a little bit more in the '60s. And today electronics make it all possible.

Mark Nichols joined his dad in this evolution when he graduated from the University of Minnesota.

"They were two peas in a pod. They had the same sense of humor and they really enjoyed working with one another," said Beth Nichols.

Sadly, Bob passed away in 2003 during the ice cream truck vending peak. That's when Mark and Beth took over.

"The industry has changed a lot because you can get ice cream everywhere and the concept of a novelty isn't novel anymore," said Beth Nichols.

Still, the Nichols' aren't about to let their business melt away like a Popsicle in the sun. Songs that are more than 100 years old keep them relevant today.

The Nichols still sell about 500 music boxes a year and ship them across the world.

"We sell some into Canada. We have a really good customer in Barbados," said Mark Nichols. They've also sold to Australia, Germany and Switzerland, just to name a few.

But most of their business comes from the continental U.S. Namely, New York City, where ice cream truck vendors are still extremely territorial.

"You get a lot of people packed together for limited space and sparks fly sometimes," said Mark Nichols.

Which is why the couple values Minnesota Nice -- pretty much all of their parts come from Minnesota companies.

"My wife and I joke about that, that we make them better than we should. Because it's not uncommon for me to get a 30-year-old music box in for repair and it's working just fine," said Mark Nichols.

The only thing the Nichols won't do is take their work home with them. After hearing the same songs over and over again every day, they let loose with something else.

"We are products of the rock era...and we still like classic rock," said Mark Nichols.

The Nichols say they hope to keep doing this even through retirement.

Mark also wants to digitize many of the songs to preserve them.